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By: Becky Wydysh

Niagara County Legislature Chair

As has already been made public, at approximately 4:30 p.m. on March 17, the Niagara County Health Department was notified by the New York State Health Department of a positive test result for COVID-19 in a 42 year-old female residing in western Niagara County.

Our communicable disease investigation team immediately began their investigation and now, after one full day of work, they believe they have an accurate picture of the affected individual’s community contact.

This investigation included multiple interviews with the affected individual.  She began showing symptom on March 8 and immediately began quarantining herself.  Our clinical team reviewed one full week before she was symptomatic to the present. Based on the interviews and timeline, and thanks in large part to the affected individual’s actions to quickly quarantine herself, distance herself from family members and seek medical attention, the Niagara County Department of Health is confident she did not have any community contact during this period.  This means no shopping, no public transportation, no work, nor any other outside interactions.  The only contact was with family.

As such, much of our team’s effort over the last day has involved personally contacting those who had been in direct contact with this individual at a personal gathering and instituting quarantines.  These people will now be closely monitored, but at this point, none are showing any symptoms.

As of right now, Niagara County has 34 individuals in quarantine, all with no symptoms. The affected individual is in isolation.  We also have 5 test results pending.